spring (redirected from springlets)

spring, in geology

spring, in geology, natural flow of water from the ground or from rocks, representing an outlet for the water that has accumulated in permeable rock strata underground. Some of the water that falls as rain soaks into the soil and is drawn downward by gravity to a depth where all openings and pore spaces in the rock or soil have become completely saturated with water. This region is called the zone of saturation, and the water it holds, groundwater. The upper surface of the zone of saturation is called the water table. Above the water table lies the zone of aeration, where the pore spaces in the soil are quite dry and are filled with air. When the upper surface of the groundwater (water table) intersects a sloping land surface, a spring appears. The occurrence of springs is closely related to the geology of an area. If an impervious layer of rock, such as a clay deposit, underlies a layer of saturated soil or rock, then a line of springs will tend to appear on a slope where the clay layer outcrops. Igneous rocks are also impervious to water, yet they are often extensively fractured, and springs commonly appear where these fractures come to the surface. Fractures in limestone are often enlarged by the dissolving action of groundwater, forming small underground channels and caves. Where these channels outcrop, springs are likely to be found. Springs are common along major faults because groundwater reaches the surface along the fault plane. Lines of springs help locate the position of faults such as the San Andreas of California. Springs can be a valuable water resource, and improvement in flow can often be accomplished simply by driving a pipe into the ground at the point where water seeps from the ground. Sometimes it is advisable to divert the spring water into a cistern or other storage reservoir from which the water can be pumped at will. When the water, because of the geological structure of the strata, issues under pressure, the spring is called artesian (see artesian well). Another type of spring is the geyser. Hot springs occur when the water issues from great depths or is heated by near-surface hot volcanic rock, as in Yellowstone National Park, Iceland, and New Zealand. Mineral springs are those with a high mineral content, usually silica or lime, dissolved from the rocks through which the water has passed (see mineral water). Many ancient city-states, such as Troy, had their sites determined by springs. Pioneer farmhouses often were located in the same way.

---

spring, in mechanics

spring, in mechanics, any of several elastic devices used variously to store and to furnish energy, to absorb shock, to sustain the pressure between contacting surfaces, and to resist tensional or compressional stress. Springs are made of an elastic material, e.g., specially formulated steel alloys or certain types of rubber or plastic. A torsion spring that stores energy, e.g., for operating a watch, is a metal strip wound spirally around a fixed center. For reducing concussion in some heavy trucks and railroad cars, helical, or coil, springs are used. Coil springs are commonly used for the same purpose in automobiles, as are leaf springs that consist of flat bars clamped together. These have been replaced in some vehicles by torsion bars that absorb stresses by twisting. The helical-coil compression spring provides the force to keep the operating surfaces together in the friction clutch (see transmission). The extension spring is employed for the spring balance; the distance through which it is extended depends on the weight suspended from it. The disk spring, which consists of a laminated series of convex disks, is widely employed for heavy loads.

---

spring

In hydrology, an opening at or near the Earth's surface where water from underground sources is discharged. Springs discharge either at ground level or directly into the bed of a stream, lake, or sea. Water that emerges at the surface without a perceptible current is called a seep.

---

spring

Elastic machine component able to deflect under load in a prescribed manner and to recover its initial shape when unloaded. The combination of force and displacement in a deflected spring is energy, which may be stored when moving loads are being stopped or when the spring is wound up for use as a power source (e.g., in a watch). Though most springs are mechanical, hydraulic (liquid) and air springs exist.

---

spring

1. 

a. a natural outflow of ground water, as forming the source of a stream

b. (as modifier): spring water

2. 

a. a device, such as a coil or strip of steel, that stores potential energy when it is compressed, stretched, or bent and releases it when the restraining force is removed

b. (as modifier): a spring mattress

3. 

a. the season of the year between winter and summer, astronomically from the March equinox to the June solstice in the N hemisphere and from the September equinox to the December solstice in the S hemisphere

b. (as modifier): spring showers

4. one of a set of strips of rubber, steel, etc., running down the inside of the handle of a cricket bat, hockey stick, etc.

5. Nautical a mooring line, usually one of a pair that cross amidships

6. a flock of teal

---

Spring (machines)

A machine element for storing energy as a function of displacement. Force applied to a spring member causes it to deflect through a certain displacement, thus absorbing energy.

A spring may have any shape and may be made from any elastic material. Even fluids can behave as compression springs and do so in fluid pressure systems. Most mechanical springs take on specific and familiar shapes such as helix, flat, or leaf springs. All mechanical elements behave to some extent as springs because of the elastic properties of engineering materials.

The most frequent use of springs is to supply motive power in a mechanism. Common examples are clock and watch springs, toy motors, and valve springs in auto engines. A special case of the spring as a source of motive power is its use for returning displaced mechanisms to their original positions, as in the door-closing device, the spring on the cam follower for an open cam, and the spring as a counterbalance. Frequently a spring in the form of a block of very elastic material such as rubber absorbs shock in a mechanism. Springs also serve an important function in vibration control.

Springs may be classified into six major types according to their shape. These are flat or leaf, helical, spiral, torsion bar, disk, and constant force springs. A leaf spring is a beam of cantilever design with a deliberately large deflection under a load. The helical spring consists essentially of a bar or wire or uniform cross section wound into a helix. In a spiral spring, the spring bar or wire is wound in an Archimedes spiral in a plane. A spiral spring is unique in that it may be deflected in one of two ways or a combination of both of them (see illustration). A torsion bar spring consists essentially of a shaft or bar of uniform section. The disk spring consists essentially of a disk or washer supported at the outer periphery by one force and an opposing force on the center or hub of the disk. A constant force spring is used when a constant force must be applied regardless of displacement.

---

Spring

Flora

goddess of this season. [Rom. Myth.: Hall, 130]

flowers

represent this season. [Art: Hall, 129]

garlanded girl

personification of spring. [Art: Hall, 130]

peep frogs

their voices welcome the season. [Am. Culture: Misc.]

Persephone

personification of spring. [Gk. Myth.: Cirlot, 252]

robin

harbinger of spring. [Western Culture: Misc.]

swallow

harbinger of the spring season. [Animal Symbolism: Mercatante, 164]

turtle doves

“voice of the turtle is heard.” [O.T.: Song of Songs 2:12]

Venus

goddess of this season. [Rom. Myth.: Hall, 130]

Ver

personification; portrayed as infantile and tender. [Rom. Myth.: LLEI, I: 322]

---

SPRING - String PRocessING language